Post-driving apparatus.



No. 702,935. Patented June 24, 1902.

m. c. a E. s. FOSTER. POST DRIVING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Feb. 27. 1902.) (No Model.) 2 Sheet E0 o I I 6 I LL 9 Z/J /6 g P 6 v 5 4 M To I a i g 7/ l9 I h, 7 21 1 2/ anmhtm .malcdm CJsifer: 1 Wl'neooeo Z 7:

6? 051m I Vw [1/ W Patented June 24, I902.

M. G. & E. S. FOSTER. POST DRIVING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Feb. 27. 1902.) (No Model.) 2-SheetsSheet 2,

nwntovg Mall; 1 0 5567. flgne 4512552 62? UNirEn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MALCOLM C. FOSTER AND EUGENE S. FOSTER, OF HAVVARDEN, IOXVA.

POST-DRIVlNG APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 702,935, dated June 24, 1902.

Application filed February 27, 1902. Serial No. 95,914. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, MALCOLMO. FOSTER and EUGENE S. FOSTER, citizens of the United States, residing at Hawarden, in the county of Sioux and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Post- Driving Apparatus; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an apparatus for driving fence-posts.

The object of the invention is to provide a post-driving apparatus which is simple of construction, vefiicient in operation, and adapted to be supported upon the bed or box of a wagon, which may be drawn from post to post along the line in which the fence is being constructed, thereby enabling the operation of building a fence to be speedily performed.

lVith this and other objects in view, which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in certain novel features of construction and combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described, defined in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a post-driver embodying our invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are front and rear elevations of the same. Fig. i is a top plan view. Fig. 5 is a cross-section on the line of the adjusting-shaft.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 1 represents a support ing-frame, consisting of suitably connected and braced side pieces 2, which are provided at the bottom with clips or saddles 3 to engage or straddle the sides of a wagon bed or body 011 which the device is designed to be supported. Each side piece is also provided with a toothed rack 4, located at or near its top, as clearly shown in Fig. 5.

Mounted on the supporting-frame is a carriage 6, which has journaled therein an adjusting-shaft 7, carrying gears 8, which mesh with the racks 4. This shaft 7 is located centrally of the carriage and has a crank-handle 8', by which it may be turned to rotate the gears 8 to adjust the carriage longitudinally of the wagon-body on the frame 1.

A guide-frame 9, in which slides a hammer 10, rises vertically from the front end of the carriage and is supported by suitable braces 11. A double pulley-block 12 is arranged at the top of this guide-frame, and passing over the pulleys therein are ropes 13, which are attached at one end to the hammer. The free ends of these ropes are drawn upon by the operators (two men being usually employed) to raise the hammer, which is allowed to drop by gravity to drive the post into the ground. A block 14:, operated by a lever 15, is mounted upon the carriage in such manner that it may be moved under the hammer to serve as a support for said hammer when it is not in use.

At the rear of the carriage an ordinary winding-drum 16 is arranged, the shaft of which is provided with an operating-crank 17. The drum has the usual ratchet-wheel 18, which is engaged by a pawl 19 on the carriage, by

means of which the drum is held against retrograde rotation. One or more ropes 20 are secured at one end to the drum, and their free ends are adapted to be secured to some suitable part of the wagon-body. WVhen it becomes necessary to elevate the guide-frame of the hammer to bring the latter into position to operate upon a post located on a hillside, the drum 16 is turned to wind up the ropes 20 and to tilt the frame on the gears S as a fulcrum, by means of which the front end of the frame may be raised to the desired extent.

It will be understood, of course, that the guide-frame and hammer project beyondone end of the wagon-bed,and the mode of operation will be readily apparent from the foregoing description.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is-

1. A post-driver adapted for use upon an ordinary'wagon-bed and comprising a supporting-frame provided with rack-bars and means of attachment to the sides of the bed, a carriage supported by the frame and having gears meshing with said rack-bars, means for operating the gears to adjust the carriage longitudinally on the frame, a guide-frame located at one end of the carriage, a hammer and operating means therefor supported by said guide-frame, and means applied to the opposite end of the carriage for attaching the same to a part of the wagon and tilting the carriage upon the gears as a fulcrum, substantially as described.

2. A post-driveradapted for use upon an ordinary Wagon-bed and comprising a supporting-frame provided with rack-bars and means of attachment to the sides of the bed, a carriage supported by the frame and having gears meshing with said rack-bars, means for operating the gears to adjust the carriage longitudinally on the frame, a guide-frame located at one end of the carriage, ahammer and operating means therefor supported by said guide-frame, a block for supporting the ham- 2o MALCOLM G. FOSTER. EUGENE S. FOSTER.

Witnesses:

BEN RUMMEL, L. L. YoUML 

